Business

Netwatch to create new jobs in Newry as part of expansion of its Irish operation

Netwatch chief executive, Kurt Takahashi.
Netwatch chief executive, Kurt Takahashi. Netwatch chief executive, Kurt Takahashi.

AN Irish video surveillance company is to expand its operation in Newry as part of an island-wide growth strategy.

Established in Carlow in 2003, Netwatch merged with three other monitoring companies in the US and UK with the backing of private equity firm Riverside.

The Netwatch Group now employs 150 people on the island of Ireland, with another 250-based in the US, monitoring some 300,000 sites around the world.

The group has announced it will create 50 new jobs within its Irish operation over the next 12 months, with at least ten per cent of the new roles based in Newry.

Netwatch opened its Newry base in 2015 in the Carnbane Business Park where it currently employs 15 people.

The company’s global chief executive, Kurt Takahashi, recently visited the Newry hub.

He said the new roles will include a range of departments, including research and development, human resources, sales, technical operations and monitoring.

“This level of expansion is being made to meet the needs of our current development and Netwatch Ireland will be the hub for this growth.

“The Netwatch platform developed in Carlow has been so successful that we are building our business in the US around it,” he said.

Some 30 new jobs are set to be created in Carlow, which remains central to the group’s entire R&D function.

Mr Takahashi said the R&D team continues to develop and deploy Netwatch’s own propriety technology. It also develops applications for all platforms as well as all aspects of software development for the Netwatch Communication Hub in Newry.